Forced Relations
by Deadgirl55
Summary: Inspired by a friends FanArt picture. Trap-Jaw has suffered a near fatal trauma after an argument with his fellow evil-doers at Snake Mountain, and with Teela the only one near by it's up to her to save his life. In a twist of events and hard lessons, will these two become kindred or even worse enemies? Who will be dragged into it and what will the rest of Eternia think?
1. The Hard Ways

Chapter One: The Hard Ways

Reconnaissance again… "Why 'm I always stuck on this stupid shit of a job? Tri-Klops has his Doomseekers; they should be doin' this, not me…" Trap-Jaw grumbled as he flew over the last out-skirting volcano vents of Mount Barathram. "I should be doin' somethin' else, like plunderin' a village…" He shot out whole heartedly, then narrowing his eyes he gave a low grumble turning to the Sky-Sleds controls. "Uh, oh... shit..." The beacon on the console was now flashing bright red; on. Communication link established, but with who..? "Crap..."

"Bored are you, Trap-Jaw?" The boss's voice came from the small speakers; Trap-Jaw winced at the pleasantry of Skeletors sing song tone. All too friendly, all too fake. "Well then, off you go. Off to plunder and pillage." There was a pause for a moment when Trap-Jaw thought there was going to be nothing else, that perhaps maybe… but of course not… "Oh, but Trap-Jaw, don't forget, do finish your reconnaissance first." Skeletor laughed manically and there was a flash from the control panel, the Sky-Sled lost power and went into a steep horizontal dive towards the ground. "But, on foot." The harsh yet emotionless tone echoed over the winds. Those were the last words before the speaker burst into sparks and flames. Trap-Jaw squeezed his eyes shut and pulled up on the handles, trying to steer the powerless sled. How could this be happening? It's the middle of the week!

"Me an' my big trap!" He shouted, readying for impact. The sled crashed, bounced a few times and then skidded towards the beginning of the Mystic Wall ruins, throwing Trap-Jaw from his seat and even closer to the broken stone. He stopped a few feet from a large boulder accompanied by a handful half its size, his mechanical arm now torn to pieces. "Stupid, fuckin' Skeletor!" He shouted when he sat up, watching the Sky-Sled burn, the flames dancing on his eyes, mirroring his furry. He had landed with his mechanical arm underneath his back, twisted in a way it wasn't meant to. His arm sparked and began to smoke, a sure sign that it was broken. Tri-Klops wasn't going to be happy about this. "Great, now what 'm I supposed ta do?" He looked around and shakily stood up, mechanical legs whining.

All of a sudden there was a shuffling noise behind the boulder and a half hearted chuckle. "Make enough noise Trap-Jaw?" Teela, the female warrior, and the daughter of Duncan: Man-At-Arms, walked around, snake staff being twirled in hand. "That was a pretty nasty spill." She joked as she tapped her staff into the palm of her other hand, a smug smile etched on her oval shaped face, but her smile faded as Trap-Jaw flinched and grunted in pain, a jolt of visible electricity running from his broken arm through his torso, making him struggle to stay up. "That looks painful." She lowered her stance and Trap-Jaw knelt on the ground.

"Yea, well, you're th' one whose gunna be hurtin' real bad in a moment." He jumped up and lunged at Teela, attempting to swing his arm to smack the warrior, trying to change it out of habit into his claw. His arm detached from the sudden movement and sent another wave of electricity through him, paralyzing his body. His eyes widened and he gasped as he crashed into Teela who wasn't ready for his stumble. It threw her off guard and cost her, they both went falling to the ground, Trap-Jaw on top pinning Teela down, both immobile. Her leg was twisted out slightly in a most painful way and it immediately began to go numb with cut off blood circulation.

"Hey, get off of me you sick bas-" Teela started to scream before she realized the pain Trap-Jaw was in, sparks were still visibly coming from the shoulder connection, but no giant waves pulsating. Then she saw it, there was a piece of his robotic arm stuck into the side of his back, wedged in good by the looks of it. "Whoa, hey, you're really hurt," She tried to move, her leg tingling every time she did. "I can't believe this is happening." She mumbled pushing at Trap-Jaw. "Can you get up?" Trap-Jaw shook his head with difficulty, eyes flaring with rage, no more mirrored fire, but now one of his own.

He groaned and tried to move clenching his jaw, shifting his weight as much as possible, glaring at Teela whenever she 'tried' to help, receiving a glare from her in turn. As it was, she was weak in his opinion and of no use. And he was still pissed off at Skeletor so therefore saw her helping hand as an attempt to continue fighting; that's what he wanted honestly, to hit someone. All the same he was able to piece together what it was he did need from her, something she could help with, and it was what the defenders were easily led into. Their oath; to always help others in need. It had worked really well against Stratos, so why not the young defender too? And as a woman, stereotypically, she should have the biggest heart of them all, so it should be easy to get into her head.

Teela on the other hand didn't see herself as helping him. She just wanted him off so she could call for back-up and take him into custody. There was hardly anything there that symbolized concern for the safety of a guy who just tried to kill her. He could bleed out, one less villain to worry about.

"I need," Trap-Jaw started, and then flinched as he realized what Teela had meant by really hurt. Teela paused in her own fidgeting for a moment to hear his weakening raspy words. Trap-Jaw hadn't felt the pain in his back before because of the adrenalin, and now a worry was starting to settle into the pit of his stomach. "I need Tri-Klops…" He breathed, forgetting his previous plan for a moment and trying to roll over to the right, the opposite direction of the wound and the now extreme pain. Teela pushed as hard as she could again, Trap-Jaw scrunched his eyes shut and vowed he'd hurt her real good for her damn fidgeting. Why does pain always seem more intense when you finally realize it's there anyways?

"And Sy-Klone said upper body strength isn't necessary…" Teela huffed as she pushed one last time when Trap-Jaw tried to move. The movements were more than very uncomfortable and by this point she just wanted him off. His position on top of her was not something that was meant for two enemies, let alone a deranged Elders knows how old villain and a young teen Defender to be in, and his belt was cutting into her stomach.

With one last push he finally rolled over and winced, clenching his iron jaw shut to stifle his cry of pain from the movement and then again when the pipe brushed the ground, letting it come out in a choked whimper instead. "Ok, you need help, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to get you help." Teela said standing up uneasily and reaching for her communicator, staring at the blood now seeping from Trap-Jaws side she put a hand to her head. She must have hit it when they went down. Her leg, although still tingling with immense measures, like millions of pins were continuously being stabbed into it, was OK enough to stand on. Even though he was a villain, she knew in her heart it was wrong to leave him to die. And that if she had the others come to arrest him, he would not make it back to the prison cells or the med bay of the Palace. She needed a medic here now.

"No," Trap-Jaw grunted, arching his back to keep the pipe from the ground, but hurting himself nonetheless. "I need Tri-Klops…" He curled his legs up in pain as he rolled over onto his undamaged side, the side with the missing arm. "He'll know," He reached back to the pipe sticking from his body. "…what ta do." He went to pull it out. Instinct; get the foreign object out.

"Wait!" Teela yelled dropping by his side. "You do that and you'll bleed out you idiot!" She hissed. She then frowned and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm helping one of Skeletors goons." She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from its quarry and held it to the ground for a brief moment before letting go. Trap-Jaws eyes glared at her for a moment but then shot to her hands and remained focused on them as she reached for her communicator that she had dropped while restraining him. Her hands were warm, he noticed, even though they were outside where it was cool. "What frequency is he on then?" She asked playing with the buttons; visually not impressed with her prisoner ordering her around. Her father was more than qualified to fix anything broken on Trap-Jaws Cyborg like body. But there was just so much blood, she didn't want to argue. Trap-Jaw remained staring at her hands, mesmerized and in deep thought. "Hey, wake up! You're dying here!" She snapped.

"Oh, uh… wait, he's not at Snake Mountain today… uh…" He flinched and reached for the intruding pipe again. Teela grabbed his hand and held his arm down, twisting it, meaning business. "He won't have a communicator on 'im today…" Trap-Jaw finished, eyes focusing on Teela's hands again, the new pain a little more pleasant than the one in his back. "You need ta go get 'im… he's…" Trap-Jaw shuddered and his body convulsed. Teela looked to the ground and noticed that there was now a river of blood surrounding the lower rocks now and quickly let go of his arm, letting him have his space to shift into a more comfortable position again, but held on again when he stopped.

"Where is he? I'll go get him if you're sure he's the only one who can help. But I'm positive my father can help you just as much as Tri-Klops…" She didn't finish her sentence. Trap-Jaw ripped his arm free from her grasp and pushed away, rolling awkwardly to his other side, causing a great amount of pain again.

"Yea right," he breathed deep, the breath ragged. He was now kneeling on his hand and knees uneasily, ready to collapse. "Like… I'm goin' ta go to yer dad… an' the other Masters for help… just ta get locked up afterwards…" He wheezed and collapsed when he tried to push himself into a sitting position up on his knees. He cussed loudly causing Teela to flinch slightly. It was a sorry sight and it truly did pain her, watching another struggle like that. She does have a heart after all. "Tri-Klops… knows me… inside… an' out… He's th' only… one I… trust…" He tried to sit up again, this time Teela helped, watching the wound closely, knowing well what would happen if it was to rip through his sides. There had been a few incidents like it back at the palace with the guards between malfunctions and other attacks on the Palace by either Skeletor and his men or other unwanted evil-doers.

"You guys have trust among each other?" She joked with a weak smile, trying to lighten the mood. Trap-Jaw clenched his jaw again and squeezed his eyes closed as he felt the muscles and tendons in his side tare against the jagged edge of the pipe. Perhaps that Kidney thing that Tri-Klops always warned him about was getting poked too, the one that was apparently going to shut down with all the 'crap' he eats and drinks. "Ok then, I'll go find Tri-Klops." Teela sighed, giving into the brutes stubbornness. "Where would he be?" She asked looking him in the eyes, her eyes saying she meant what she said. A heroes promise.

Trust was a big issue when it came to saving lives, and right now Trap-Jaw needed to trust her. She squeezed Trap-Jaws shoulder and then walked around him to his wounded side when he just stared at her in a far off way. "But I still think I should alert my father too, just encase we can't find Tri-Klops. He would have a med-table at the ready for our arrival.

Trap-Jaw felt his pulse miss a beat; at first out of painful instinct and then the realization of a better sensation. The feeling of the warm hand clenched on his shoulder was more than welcome, a great change from one around his throat. Even Evil-Lyn's hand was ice cold. "I'm going to bandage this up as best I can." Her voice was distant for a moment, both to his ears and in her voice itself, busy. She tore off some of her outfit and pressed them to the wound as gentle as she could to use as gauze. Trap-Jaw let his breath exhale with a whimper and he grabbed her foot with a small grumble and glare stating to get away from there. "Sorry, but you need to stop the bleeding, unless you like being a dead-man-walking, oh yea, with no chance of survival to add." She said prying his hand off. She then grabbed some lone wires that were thrown from the Sky-Sled un-burnt and tied them around his waist to hold the make-shift gauze in place. His belt was no help so she ran her fingers around it trying to decipher how to take it off. Trap-Jaw sat still, quivering every now and then. He didn't really know what to think, which usually wasn't very abnormal, but in this instant, he would have had plenty to say if another were in his place.

To Teela it was very awkward to be that close to him, to reach around his waist and care for him, talk to him like an ordinary person in need. What was worse was the race she felt when he grabbed her foot. Her head told her he was going to attack, but there was something that said something different. She had never been near him this long in any battle. "That will need to do for now." Teela stood up and looked around again, ignoring the belt when she couldn't figure it out. "OK, just point me in the direction Tri-Klops is in and," Trap-Jaw grabbed her foot again nearly knocking her over from the sudden startle, the type of clutch that said 'Pay close attention to these next words'.

"I'm comin'…" He staggered. "I'm not stayin' here… for someone else or somethin' else… ta pick off…" He tried to pull himself up. "I'll be… OK… at… walkin'… once I'm… up…" He said trying again, voice strained. Teela pushed him back down. "Come on!" He barked, lashing out with his only arm. Teela could see that he wouldn't last much longer, not on his own, but to make that journey, wherever it was…

'There is no option; he needs to be looked after.' Her inner voice said. 'Villain or not, he is dying. It is the right thing to do.'

She sighed lightly, hoping Trap-Jaw didn't hear. He was on his knees leaning on his one arm, shaking. He was breathing in long heavy takes and staring at the ground like it was the last thing he was going to see. Her heart sunk a little more and she took half a step closer.

"Fine, let's get you up, and we'll start out, how far?" She asked looking around again, making sure there was nothing about to come down on them. 'No one to see this.' She thought. Trap-Jaw pointed in the Southern direction of the Dark Hemisphere after studying her for a moment, trying to decided weather or not this was a trick. Teela noticed his arm muscles were tense from the strain of trying to keep it steady.

"About thirty clicks… that way…" He started; he was taking more breaths as he talked. Teela nodded, almost relieved. "Then… we go… underground… a ways…" He smiled a little and wobbled Teela helped him stand, then leaned on her for support. "Sorry…" He mumbled softly, not really wanting her to hear. 'Must be I hit my head so hard I can't even utter insults anymore…Supposed to call 'er weak or somethin'.' He grumbled mentally and looked at the girl. 'Heh, I'm gunna end up crushin' 'er if I fall.' He smirked at the thought and then his mind wandered back to when he did fall on her. He frowned. No, she was tougher than that, it was proven. He grumbled again as a twitch started on his right eye brow. He knew he hit that, there had been a rock sticking out when he fell on Teela. His head hit it and now it was trickling something slightly. 'Great, I'm gunna bleed out in twenty different places!' He gripped Teela even harder, leaning a little more than necessary in self pity.

Teela looked over at the broken Sky-Sled and sighed as she felt her upper arm fall under pressure from all sides. She ignored it thinking Trap-Jaw was just in pain again. "On foot then, huh, or do you guys hide anything around here?" She asked hopefully as they started their slow walk, the sound of Trap-Jaws legs whirring and whining in protest with each trudge he took. They had been damaged too, but not as bad. It was his upper half he landed and skid across the ground on.

"No," He thought for a moment. "There are doors all over... the place, the vehicles are... a good idea actually… for future use…" He grunted and then grinned, gritting his teeth through the obvious pain as they descended a slight slop. His eyes drooped slightly then opened again, a new rush of sorts beginning to mess with his mind. He smiled down at Teela as she glanced up at him cautiously. It was becoming easier to feign pleasantry the longer he bleed out. Things were beginning to spin a little.

Teela smiled ignorantly at his ability to switch so easily from foe to friend. 'But then again,' she thought, 'He is dying and needs my help...' There had become a buzz about him that unnerved her a little as they traveled, the way he kept looking down at her. It wavered from friendly to villain like to friendly to something else she couldn't pin point, but it unsettled her stomach, each state. She started to feel uncomfortable; him being hung over her like that. This was not a mission she should be doing alone. 'Oh, how I wish He-Man was here…' She let her mind wander on what would happen if he was there with them. Things would most likely go a lot smoother. He-Man would make Trap-Jaw do what they wanted, or pick the over sized brute up and carry him to wherever.

Walking past a group of boulders Trap-Jaw tripped when his right leg refused to move, pulling Teela down with him. Trap-Jaw all but laughed out loud as he heard Teela stifle a scream. On purpose or accident it was a good thing, because just above a Gryphon flew by carrying Beast-Man and a crate which had something lashing out of what was most likely breathing slots. The shadows concealed them from the Gryphons powerful vision as it swept its eyes over the terrain, searching for signs of trespassers. "Ok… just up there… is a door… then a room a little ways in. It's got some other Sky-Sleds…" He looked around carefully. "I hope they're in…workin' condition. Be careful…" He said pressing a button under a medium sized stone he lifted, after reassuring himself there was no one else around. "It should help us… go faster." He groaned as he tossed the stone away and pushed himself into darker shadows. Teela walked close to him in case he needed help. "Skeletor's… probably got a… bunch of others… wanderin' 'round in there." He huffed with a cough. "I'm not… in friendly favours… with them… at the moment…" He admitted with a half shrug as his body tried to convulse again, remembering the fight the group of them had had. It was in terms a raciest fight, one that had pushed the group's tolerance towards each other to a breaking point. In other terms they became pissed at one another, scuffed and then later ended up pissing off Skeletor and were therefore punished by the Great Tyrant himself.

Trap-Jaw's punishment at first didn't seem too bad, all he had to do was reconnaissance and try and get Beast Man to either bath himself properly or help him bath his pets, secretly soaping the giant fuzz ball in the process so he had to rinse. Both were near impossible. It all didn't seem too harsh for once, until he got a pipe stuck in his back. 'Once again Skeletor's tryin' ta kill me,' He thought, pushing memories of the past to the back and focusing on the present. To him, anything that happens in the past are just to be built on, and used later to fuel whatever it is that he had planned. The plan itself was still in the process of thought, of course.

Teela looked down the now revealed corridor then glanced back at Trap-Jaw. She didn't trust him, but he didn't look like he could go anywhere on his own, seeing as it took him what seemed like forever to shimmy himself into a better hiding spot. He had somehow managed to pull himself a little more forwards now so he could peer down the tunnel as well, but his breathing was un-rhythmic, and he was shaking from the effort to keep his head up the way it was. 'I should have helped him move.' She scorned herself as she watched him lay there. 'All that movement has started his blood pumping, which just means more blood loss. More blood rivers' She sighed with a shiver.

"So the guys in here won't care if I'm helping you then, huh?" She asked looking at Trap-Jaw lying on the ground, sweat dripping down his face now from the strain to stay alert. In the dim lighting she could still see that his eyes were falling in and out of focus. He shook his head and let it rest on the ground for a moment and she sighed. "The things we "Good Guys" do." She joked, flashing a weak smile when he looked up at her, before running into one of Snake Mountain's labyrinth like sections. Trap-Jaw frowned for a moment as she ran off but then caught that she was only trying to be light hearted. He chuckled, but the chuckle turned into a vicious cough. He stifled the noise as much as possible, so as not to draw attention to his location and the young female trying to help him, but it was hard as he felt a weight clamp down on his chest. His cough turned to a choke and he began to hope someone, anyone, would come by as he was now making little to no noise even when he tried. Teela was out of sight now.

Down the corridors and through the first open door she could find, Teela slid through the shadows and past the half asleep or brawling guards. Trap-Jaw was right; the others seemed more ticked off than usual, even she could see that, and she didn't live there. Her eyes scanned the area. Two-Bad was off in a corner farther down the corridor pounding on someone. After careful listening and then a lucky move from Two-Bad she was able to see that it was Stinkor. "Poor guy…" She breathed as he cried out accompanied with the sound of a snap, and then she pressed on reminding herself there was someone in worse shape outside waiting for her. The barbaric happenings inside Snake Mountain with its crew were nothing to fret over now, if ever.

The Sky-Sleds were pushed up against the farthest wall of an overlarge chamber room, half covered by a tattered tarp. In an instant Teela had one ready to go, started and straddled. She looked around again in a quick attempt to find some sort of emergency kit and noticed a Doomseeker watching her from behind another sled. "Hey!" She shouted in a whispered tone. "Go find Tri-Klops. Trap-Jaw needs his help, now!" The Doomseeker paused a moment, almost in consideration, and then took off in the opposite direction that Teela thought it would go. "Weird… but it probably knows a faster way to get there itself." She said to the side, revving the engine slightly while pondering the small devices actions once more and then taking off.

Luck was on her side as she exited Snake Mountain; there were no guards in the corridor this time. Sticking to the shadows would have been much harder with the Sky-Sled. They must have noticed Two-Bad and Stinkor and either went to report to Skeletor or had them take it somewhere else, perhaps a more private place to watch. Teela shuddered at how ruthless the low lives of Snake Mountain could be, but it was Skeletors domain, what else was to be expected?

When Teela got back outside it was darker, the stars were just beginning to peek through the purple sky. She pulled up beside Trap-Jaws head and cut the engine, then looked at him closely. When there was no smart ass remark about time being an issue she noticed he wasn't moving. "Hey, Trap-Jaw, you're ride's here." She said getting off, hoping for a stir of some sorts. 'But nothing like a blaster,' She thought. It was entirely possible that Two-Bad and the others had come out this way and noticed their beaten up comrade lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, and then quickly devised a plan to lure her out and capture her when her guard was down. But there was nothing, no movement anywhere except off in the far distance. Probably Beast Man again.

She knelt and pressed her index and middle fingers to Trap-Jaws neck looking for a pulse since he showed no sign of movement to her vocal jabs and insults, it was barley there. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed running to his back and trying to pull him upwards, a small panic setting in as she realized how big he really was compared to her, now that she was alone not just to fight him but to take care of him. "Trap-Jaw, get up! I can't," She stopped and took a deep breath, setting the unconscious bad guy down again. Letting herself start to panic wasn't going to get anything accomplished. Even though it was a horrible thing, no matter who it was, to have someone die in another care. To have been the last with them.

Her eyes wandered around examining her surroundings for anything useful. Something her father had taught her to do. "Use your surroundings to their full potential to give you an advantage." He had said. But there really wasn't anything that was of any use here, except the sled. The trick to that was getting him on it though.

Teela brought the Sky-Sled over as close as she could to the unconscious mans side and set to work at getting the nearly truly dead weight, that was more than twice her size and way more than five times her weight, off the ground onto their new mode of transportation. "Wake up!" She shouted one last time, hitting him on the back of his left shoulder, ignoring the possibility of someone else hearing them now. Trap-Jaw stirred slightly. She hit him again and then took hold and shook. "Wake up!" She hissed this time.

"What…" He began but Teela silenced him.

"I just need you awake for a little bit here, it can't be that hard. And then you can rest until we get to Tri-Klops." She whispered. "I can't lift you onto the Sky-Sled." Her hands moved under his arm again and pulled up. "You're too damn heavy." She said letting him back down the few inches she had lifted him. Trap-Jaw smiled weakly as he felt her trying to move him around.

"It's all th'… armour…" He joked, coughing and quickly whipping at his face. "I'd…" Teela shushed him again by placing her hand over his mouth, but quickly removed it, a small fear that he would bite her hand off was tugging at her insides. Then she commanded him to get onto the sled. She looked at her hand and frowned deeply. He was starting to cough up blood. The more time spent like this the more she was thinking of just calling in her father and the other Defenders for help.

Trap-Jaw let Teela help him stand, shakily and looked at his belt. "This ol' thing... by itself... must weigh... Thirty pounds." He choked on a weak chuckle and tugged at the belt. "Might as well... take it off... Be too much... weight already... for the Sled." He pushed off Teela, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground, and with empty eyes unfastened all three hidden latches. The heavy Steel belt fell to the ground with a dull thud and rolled slightly down the small hill. He looked to his robotic arm but thought better of it. Tri-Klops would kill him if he lost the whole thing. "'Alright," he said softly. "Lets go."

Once they were settled and Teela was sure Trap-Jaw wasn't going to fall off she kicked it into high gear and took off like a Serpinataur being perused by a Mother Dragon across the Dark Hemispheres skies, keeping low enough as to not draw any unwanted attention. Any more delays could mean the death of Trap-Jaw, and that was something the young warrior did not want on her conscience for the rest of her life, even if he is a criminal. It was still a life.


	2. Stubborn Traits

Chapter Two: Stubborn Traits

Every so often Teela would slow down slightly coming closer to the ground and look back at Trap-Jaw to check that he was still breathing, and when she couldn't see any signs of consciousness she would pull over quickly and check. Trap-Jaw would stir momentarily when her hand touched his neck, in a way that showed he would rather her not touch him, but after the third time of feeling the oddly warm fingers on his neck checking for a pulse he just ignored it and let her do her thing. It was hard enough to stay awake let alone fight with the young warrior about personal space. With the cool air so inviting since his body had been working overtime to keep active, he found himself even more prone to dozing off. Everything was spinning, and keeping his eyes open made him sick. And as he knew it, all fluids were vital to his survival.

Like dozing off was even possible on the Sky-Sled Teela picked. There were bigger ones on another level of the same room; she just needed to look for them. Way more leg room. 'I'll have to bug 'er 'bout that later… tell 'er she ain't as good as she thinks.' Trap-Jaw thought as he felt her waist shift against his inner legs and he woke from his daze. Being wedged so close to the young woman high in the sky at such speeds, he didn't want to lose consciousness and fall off. 'That would be the end for sure.'

But in the back of his mind there was another struggle taking place, the real reason he would jolt awake every time she touched him. Skeletors hands would always be oddly warm whenever he would get angry and try to strangle someone, and it usually happened a few times a day, more so or not to Trap-Jaw, depended on who was standing by. Still colder than Teela's, but warm like he was building a bon fire to throw his captured into. He knew what it looked like and how it felt. That's how Skeletor would control them, overpowering them, showing them Death and then letting them return to the living, just before dropping them to the side out of boredom or before he finally quenched his rage. So the similarities bothered the giant cyborg greatly, but he didn't show it. 'I better not be showin' it.' He thought when he started to drift again, one eye faster than the other.

He had begun to realize there were changes in his behaviour as he was bleeding out. His fears were surfacing and he was less aggressive towards the young warrior woman. He looked at her more than necessary and began to forget about being bothered by her long hair whipping him in the face. It smelt good. She washed it regularly, unlike those at Snake Mountain; Beast Man as a prime example. Evil-Lyn kept herself under good hygiene though. Trap-Jaw thought for a moment. 'Must be a woman thing.' He let his mind wander again into neutral thoughts. 'Gotta read up on 'em... learn what makes 'em tick.' He sighed uneasily. 'Gotta learn to read proper first.' His eyes closed in deeper thought.

Teela on the other hand was just as pushy and aggressive as when they started. Not allowing herself to become lulled into a false sense of security just because her passenger was in critical condition. Trap-Jaw smiled. It was funny, admirable almost. It reminded him of Tri-Klops in ways. He let his mind wander about that and subjects close to it, comparing Teela and Tri-Klops' attitudes and traits. His head seemed to spin for a moment, making him slightly more nauseous.

Teela had told him to maintain focus on something that he liked, to occupy his thoughts so they were diverted from the pain and the "letting go feeling" that he was apparently "displaying". 'Nothin' 'bout me has changed other than that I seem more depressed 's all.' He thought still thinking about his actions as a criminal. 'Well, at least I don't look like a sissy, all cut up like this.' He chuckled as best he could while thinking about it. 'But she's getting annoying.' Trap-Jaw went to yawn but let it go with a shudder, getting Teela to eye him suspiciously. His criminal instinct was coming back into focus, making him want to push her off and take himself the rest of the way to Tri-Klops, but then he shuddered again and his eyes drooped once more. He looked at her as she looked back. She was taking care of him, how could he do that right now? ''Side's, we'd most likely crash in the struggle.' He countered against himself, relaxing.

She kept repeating herself every so often when she would turn back, that was what was annoying him. "Just focus on something you would miss. Anything that will keep you from falling asleep is good enough."

Her father had explained that if someone who was in danger of dying fell asleep they might not wake up again. They would most likely become coma induced and eventually all life would fade. And those were the lucky people, some died right away without a chance of life to flicker through their stasis brains, others stayed in the coma until they died of old age. She had seen the thought pass over Trap-Jaw's face in his expression, whether he knew it or not, when she had woken him up after retrieving the Sky-Sled. He wanted to let something like that happen, to get away from the suffering. It pained her for some reason, one she didn't care to admit.

'He's evil, he chose that life.'

He was a hardened criminal of the Universe and its neighbouring Planets, and a threat to Eternia; one of Skeletors finest. But she couldn't bear to see him suffer alone or give him up to the hands of the other men of Snake Mountain, like Two-Bad, not after what she saw him do to Stinkor. 'No one of my statues should be able to just stand by and watch someone suffer like this, right?' She argued to herself as her eyes scanned the area around them, looking for a sign that they were close and keeping an eye out for hostiles. "Does any of this look familiar?" She asked, slowing down again so Trap-Jaw could hear her over the winds whipping past them without her shouting too much. Trap-Jaw looked around slowly after a moment of hesitation while he processed her question, his eyes were drooped, face a pale green almost white from blood loss, along with the rest of his skin. The make-shift gauze had stopped working now and probably slipped off shortly after take off. Those wires weren't likely to hold up long anyways and the cloth from her shirt wasn't the best material to hold any portion of blood back. It probably soaked through and then the whole thing just slipped off while he was waiting for her to get the Sky-Sled even. She should have checked that. 'Stupid!'

"…there…" He pointed weakly, arm slowly rising then locking in place. Teela reached back and lowered his arm when he didn't do it himself as they came closer to the cave. He was losing the ability to send simple motor function signals from his brain to the rest of his body. And by the feel of how stiff his arm was he was beginning to let himself go with the blood flow. "Tri-Klops… will be… down… there…" His eyes drooped closed uneasily and stayed shut. There was a long silence between Teela acknowledging where the entrance was to turn in its direction and when she thought would be the point he would tell her more instructions. She looked back and saw him slumped down more than before, legs relaxed instead of clinging to the Sky-Sled like they had been the whole way there.

"Hey, Trap-Jaw, wake up!" Teela yelled, but with no response. She was beginning to panic, every moment she spent worrying was another moment he could die, and yet if she didn't check, to try and do something he could die faster. So she began to speed up and went soaring down the caves opening in the ground. She wouldn't be much help at this point in keeping him alive; her best hope was to get him to Tri-Klops as fast as possible. She focused on what Trap-Jaw had told her before. "OK Teela, just keep going down he said…" She looked at the smaller openings in the sides of the tunnel they were descending down. There were pathways to get to each of them. 'Tri-Klops will find ya, just make some noise an' he'll come to investigate for intruders…' Trap-Jaw said before they had come close to the entrance.

Teela turned on the weapons system and rounded a corner, grabbing hold of Trap-Jaw as he began to slide off. She nearly lost control and decided to slow down a bit. Turning sharply in the opposite direction to er-correct Trap-Jaws position. There was no point in putting her life in danger as well; no good would come out of it. She kept following the biggest tunnel, the one that lead right in from the surface. Eventually she started to presume they were getting close. There were a few statues carved into the stone walls, nothing she could make out to be human as she glided past. Some where in the walls, others where made from boulders lying around.

She fired the lasers from the Sky-Sled as she zoomed down the tunnels, hitting some of the statues and knocking parts off of them. "Tri-Klops!" She yelled, looking frantically from side to side, almost missing the swords master who stood on top of a funny shaped boulder, bigger than the rest. He watched as the warrior woman slammed on the breaks, sending the Sky-sled into a partial out of control spiral. Teelas heart was racing as she fish-tailed the Sled to a stop, Trap-Jaw falling off with no hope of catching him. Then she was off and running towards Tri-Klops in an instant.

Tri-Klops drew his sword and his eye-sensor spun to a different eye viewer, firing up and ready to blast. "Tri-Klops, Trap-Jaw needs your help!" She yelled, stopping when she noticed that Tri-Klops wasn't ready for pleasantries, she pulled her staff. His red optic simmered slightly. He looked at the blood on her being.

"What are you talking about?" Tri-Klops barked and looked over towards the Sky-Sled where Teela was pointing, one hand still placed over where her staff was clipped. Trap-Jaw lay unconscious on the ground just behind the Sled. "What happened?" He asked, confused but no less distrusting, maintaining his cool nonetheless. His optics turned and narrowed in on Trap-Jaws near lifeless body, studying it. "What did you do?" Teela shook her head in annoyance and stepped aside for Tri-Klops to come down.

"He's dying! Get down here and help him!" She yelled up at the swordsman who stood near motionless on top of the boulder still. He looked down at her slightly, optic now narrowing in on her. He was looking for visual signs in her facial features for a lie. "He wouldn't let me take him anywhere else. I'll tell you about it after you help him. He insisted on you!" She hissed, watching Tri-Klops stand uncertain now. "If this was a trap we would have sprung it by now! And we wouldn't be using Trap-Jaws life as bait!" She cried in rage now getting angry at the time wasted. Her father would have had Trap-Jaw on a med-table and in the midst of repairs by now. His life would no longer be in danger and she wouldn't be yelling at a man who obviously had no emotion.

Tri-Klops jumped down from the boulder still studying Teela, optic never leaving her figure. She could see now that it was a statue still under construction. Tri-Klops thought for another moment. She was right; the Defenders would not use another's life as bait like this. His attention turned to the wounded and he ran over to the cyborg to examine the damage, facial expression never changing, not once looking up and over to Teela.

"I'll be back for you once I get him stabilized." Tri-Klops said pulling Trap-Jaw to the Sled then jumping himself, firing it up. "So in other words, you best be gone." He took off without anymore to the topic, leaving Teela behind in a swirling cloud of dust. She watched dumbfounded for a moment before realizing what had just happened. Tri-Klops had just left her in an unknown part of the Dark Hemisphere, alone!

"What an Ass-Hole! … how could he just… where on Eternia does he get-" Teela started fuming with clenched fists, eyes blazing with fury. Then she took another quick look around, re-realizing the danger she could be in. "Oh! Never trust one of Skeletors cronies!" She grumbled, running towards the work in progress statue for shelter pulling her staff out just in case. It could be hours before Trap-Jaw's life is stabilized, and there was still the fact that Tri-Klops might not even come back. "If I ever see that no good jerk again, I'll beat him so bad he'll be in even worse shape than Trap-Jaw!" She cursed, and then looked around again listening to the dead silence of the caverns. "And I'll leave him there." She pressed herself against the wall and slid down; calming herself as she realized there was no unordinary sounds. Just the wind through the tunnels.

'There must be more than one way in and out of here if the wind is moving like this.' She thought. Maybe there was a faster, easier way out. One she could trek on foot. Yet again, with just a staff in hand, there was no hope against whatever could be lurking in the shadows. Including Tri-Klops. He had proven that once before. Nearly ending her life if not for the Sorceress. What if he was actually meaning that threat, "You best be gone." If he meant to finish what he started? Obviously he didn't care too much for another life. Took him forever to even go up to Trap-Jaws body in the dirt. How grateful would he actually be, if at all?

Teela huffed and pressed a fist to her forehead. There was a chance, either way, but if she was to survive, the lesser of the two beast was her best option. At least Tri-Klops could think rationally. Not like a Shadow Beast or even Webstor's offspring. So she remained put.

Within an hour to an hour and a half Tri-Klops was back, driving towards her much slower than when he left. Teela was still fuming but not as much as she had been once she realized Tri-Klops had set defence parameters against unwanted animal activity, so there was nothing to worry about when it came to some strange creature coming to attack her while she sits helplessly. "What's the big idea just leaving me here?" She shouted as Tri-Klops drew his sword, one hand outwards in a half-hearted, friendly gesture. He seemed more unsure than before as he took a few steps towards the fem warrior.

"Calm down," Tri-Klops snapped taking a hold of his senses again and taking a step backwards as Teela marched forwards, staff drawn. "There's a weight limit on the Sky-sled." He snapped. "It was already maxed out with the two of you; and there wasn't even room for you even if it would take off with all three!" He grumbled loudly. For a moment the two stared at each other, waiting for the next move. Tri-Klops broke the contact when he looked down, checking a remote screen he had attached to his gauntlet. He held up his hand again, silencing Teela when she went to make more of a scene. "I have to get back. I can't leave Trap-Jaw alone for too long. That pipe did more damage than it looked. Are you coming, or not?" He asked turning around placing great emphasis on the "or not' part of his question. Again without a glance back. Obviously he didn't want Teela, a Master, to come with him, find his hiding hole. But she had brought Trap-Jaw to him as requested and Trap-Jaw had asked for her to stay a while when he gained enough consciousness. After Tri-Klops had woken him to let him know he wasn't in any danger anymore Trap-Jaw let him know where he stood on just leaving the young woman alone in the tunnels of the Dark Hemisphere. And he had a piece of his mind to give for her letting him drop off the Sled. He did feel that.

Teela wrinkled her nose as she got on the Sky-Sled with Tri-Klops, wrapping her arms around him uneasily. There was no where else to hold onto, otherwise this would not be happening. Tri-Klops smiled as he could feel her uneasiness, it practically radiated off her. He was a turn off; good. "You could always walk." He said as Teela struggled with herself to decide how hard to hold on. She grumbled and went to object, tightening her grip a little more. "Because you will need to hold on tight, we need to go fast, so make up your mind now, or get off." He said revving the engine and then taking off without warning. Teela screamed and Tri-Klops grinned wide. Apparently he was fine with her falling off if she didn't want to ride with him properly. Safety was an issue they both new that, so Teela held on tighter. Tri-Klops' smile lessened as he felt her small arms clamp down on him. 'I won't be losing her this way.' He thought gloomily as they rounded a corner. The thought of the youngling falling off and smashing her skull in gave him pleasure, it displeased him when she gripped even tighter.

Teelas grip on Tri-Klops grew harder as they soared at speeds she didn't even know the sled could go. Every time Tri-Klops would take a dive down another shaft further into the planet or a sharp turn Teela would grit her teeth and stifle a squeal, her stomach feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest making it hard for her to keep quiet. That made Tri-Klops smile wickedly; his hearing was near perfect, near inhuman so he could make out every whimper she made. Therefore after a while he of almost calm he would do a few more swerves and quick dives just to scare her. Teela wasn't thinking at first that he was doing it on purpose, until he started to slow down and she was able to watch him closely, how he would jerk the handles in one direction then back. 'Twisted bastard…' She thought as they began to slow more. Tri-Klops seemed to have become bored with his actions as they ceased all together.

Eventually they reached their destination, which wasn't too long after they had started, it just felt like they were flying forever since Tri-Klops decided to swerve every chance he got to frighten her.

"What is this place" Teela asked getting off quickly before Tri-Klops tried something else, her legs trembled slightly from the speeds they were going and her stomach threatening to empty. "Some sort of base for Skeletor?" She narrowed her eyes in thought, and concentration. This would be perfect for the other Defenders to learn about, and it would be bad if she spewed in front of the enemy. 'Hold it together.'

"No." Tri-Klops answered plainly, getting off the machine after powering it down. He walked over to where Trap-Jaw lay motionless on an operating table and sat on a stood beside the wound. He had driven right into the centre of his own lair. "Skeletor doesn't know about this place." Tri-Klops paused for a moment before adding with a lower tone, "Hopefully..." He bent over Trap-Jaw whose eyes were only open slightly. He set to work repairing Trap-Jaws side more, injecting what would appear to be a freezing agent in the dying mans side.

"What happened?" He asked gruffly as Teela looked around in almost wonder. She walked over and watched as Tri-Klops operated to stabilize Trap-Jaws life. She had thought he was only an inventor, second to her father. Not verses on medical needs and surgery. "Well?" He snapped, cutting the remaining threads from the temporary stitching he had done when going to get Teela. She began to explain what she had seen; noticing after a while that Trap-Jaws eyes were fixed on her. Tri-Klops continued to operate on the damaged organs and tissue around the impalement site.

"To my knowledge, it was a dispute back at the mountain. Someone might have sabotaged his Sled. I have no real idea what happened, just that he crashed and wouldn't let me call for help that was closer by…" She frowned as she finished her story. "One of the other Masters could have been there in no time with medical equipment, but he refused." She narrowed her eyes in anger at Trap-Jaws stubbornness. "It's stupid to risk your life just because you don't like someone. Before we even got near the entrance to this place my father would have had him on a table in med-bay under surgery." She said. Trap-Jaw looked from Tri-Klops to Teela and smiled weakly, he was in a daze, colours were a little off and the images would come in and out of focus due to the anaesthetics. His mood was just light though; he was high off Death if you would.

"Skeletor..." Trap-Jaw sighed heavily. Almost unable to take a breath back in. There were needles in his arms pumping blood back into his body. Three for blood, one for something else.

"Trap-Jaw, go to sleep now, I'm almost finished here. There's no risk anymore of a coma, and perhaps not of death. We'll talk later about this." Tri-Klops said, pulling surgical tools away from the cyborg. His sentences were almost point form. His attention and conversational aim turned from Trap-Jaw to Teela. "Would you trust us, to let you go after we helped?" Tri-Klops asked setting the tools in a bin and starting to stitch Trap-Jaws side properly this time. "If you were in the same condition. Of course you wouldn't." He stated gruffly, optic whining as it enhanced the area he was working on. "You would have begged for your father and the other Masters."

"Yes, I would have no choice really. If it meant I had a chance to get out later instead of die now." She argued. Teela stood beside Tri-Klops and held part of Trap-Jaws spare arm parts that were lying on another tray near by, examining them. "It's stupid if you can't even go to each other for help just because you had a fight." She pressed, her Masters ideology continuing. "You can't let fights stop you from being able to go to one another for help. The Masters never act that way, we help all who need it, encase you can't see that." She frowned, sighing in frustration as she realized Tri-Klops was either not listening to her or just didn't care about her heroics logic.

It was true that there were times when there wasn't much trust amongst the other Defenders. Ram-Man and Buzz-Off were prime examples of that, but in the end they went to each other when they needed help, learning that it was better to trust your allies, especially when you need help, than to face things on your own.

Tri-Klops continued working by taking the parts from Teela and starting on Trap-Jaws missing robotic arm. "He came to me." He said, but Teela shook her head.

"Yea but only you, there was all of Snake Mountain to go to, yet he comes to come all the way out here." Teela began to raise her voice in frustration. "Instead of getting help right away he would have let himself die. He was going to walk the whole way too if he hadn't collapsed near that secret doorway coughing up blood. What's with that?" She pulled back a part Tri-Klops was going to take from her. He stood up and she instinctively stepped back reaching for her stall, a little intimidated to be honest.

He looked menacing as he towered over the sixteen year old. "There's nothing to explain. I know how to fix him, the others don't. And you and your 'Masters' are not people on our 'trusted' list." He seethed as he grabbed the parts out of Teela's hands. "Why are you still here anyway?" Tri-Klops asked placing the parts in their respected areas then walking over to another table across the room. There were more parts lying across that table. "You could have left at anytime. Or are you waiting for a 'thank you?'" He sneered as he sat back down. "Sky-Sled's over there, take it out. Leave it by the Mystic Wall or whatever. Just leave." He growled looking at Trap-Jaws legs where Teela was pointing. There were more repairs to do down there as well.

"I'm not leaving yet. I want to know what really happened, and why he let me help him if he doesn't trust anyone else, 'especially Masters.'" She said pulling up another stool. Tri-Klops turned his head slightly and grumbled, optic narrowing in on Teelas facial features. She meant her words.

"Because you're weak minded and listened to what he wanted. You are easy to manipulate." Tri-Klops growled and stood back up, reaching for Teela.

"Hey…" Tri-Klops turned. "She's not doin' anythin'... against ya…" Trap-Jaw said, eyes drooping and reopening a little. He had been in and out of consciousness the whole time. "She wants to stay an' hear... 'bout big, bad ol' Skull Face... let 'er." He said sitting up, immediately being pushed back down by only one of Tri-Klops' hands.

"Idiot, stay down or the seams will come undone!" Tri-Klops yelled releasing his hold on Trap-Jaw, who just looked from the spot he was pushed at to the one responsible. "It's none of her business and none of the other Masters either."

"Ya won't tell, right...?" Trap-Jaw said smiling. He seemed more relaxed, but out of character now that he wasn't dying, and under major anaesthetics. His eyes narrowed on Teela. "C'mon, were off duty for th' next while. Me, I'm off most likely for a few weeks." Trap-Jaw grinned and ran a finger down the fresh stitching on the side of his back. He sighed. "Skeletor doesn't like me lately for some reason…" Tri-Klops walked over to another side of the room and sat at a desk, clearly in disapproval. Trap-Jaw shrugged with his one good shoulder, and then winced from the pain.

"What happened?" Teela asked. "What caused your Sky-Sled to crash?" She smiled, "Careless piloting?"

"Careless mouthin' off." He smiled dryly. "Skeletor… Like I said, he's gunnin' for me lately…" Trap-Jaw yawned and slouched down, receiving a quick glare from Tri-Klops. No moving, that's what he had said. "I was complainin' 'bout th' job he assigned me, so he decided ta be a jerk. It's what happens." Trap-Jaw closed his eyes. "Hey, Tri-Klops… Have ya noticed how he's been eavesdroppin' on everyone lately?"

"He's always done that, now be quiet and go to sleep." Tri-Klops pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet and Trap-Jaws table moved into a better position for him to sleep Surgery was over for now, Tri-Klops didn't need clear access his patients back at the moment. Then he set to work on some papers, sketching something out.

"No, I mean, he's doubled 'is paranoia… 's like he remotely turned on my Sky-Sleds microphone to spy on me…" Trap-Jaw tapped his fingers against the table he was on. "Aw… hey, can one of ya go an' get me a pillow?" He joked, clearly unable to fall asleep. Tri-Klops stood up and walked over. "Aw… ain't gunna hurt if I stay awake for a bit longer." He said watching Tri-Klops tap the syringe. Teela looked from the two as they argued. The whole situation seemed less and less real. More like a nightmare than anything, being stuck babysitting Trap-Jaw and having to deal with Tri-Klops and his unfriendly personality. Both arguing like they've done this before.

"Yes it will." Tri-Klops said blankly, and inserted the needle in Trap-Jaws biological arm. "Relax, go to sleep, and I'll wake you up later for reflex tests and all that 'stuff' you never care to remember." Trap-Jaw frowned in a childish manner and slouched down further on the table; the medicine immediately taking effect. Tri-Klops lowered his voice. "And we'll talk about your little 'pet' too, she's not staying here." Trap-Jaw yawned wide and Teela huffed as she went to protest.

"N'aw, you leave 'er alone. She saved my life, I gotta thank her. At least," He yawned again and his eyes closed. "At least tell 'er how to get outta here then… ya jerk" He said, very playful on the last word, and then dozed off. Tri-Klops grumbled, but nodded grudgingly. Trap-Jaw was a friend, one hard to come by in Snake Mountain. A few simple requests shouldn't be too hard. 'Tell her how to get out safe. Then I'm done.'

Teela had gotten out of her seat and now stood a little ways away, out of Tri-Klops' radius while he had brought over the needle. She realized that they had dropped their voices even lower in the last sentences. She tensed and prepared for battle, and hoped to the Elders she could take Tri-Klops in a battle on her own. But he just turned and walked over to another table that held what looked like his dinner from earlier. "I suppose you're hungry..." He said, more a statement to himself than a question to Teela.

"No thanks…" She said wrinkling her nose as Tri-Klops picked up his dinner plate with the leftovers. It looked like he had only eaten half of what he dished for himself, and she really didn't want to share what was left of the cold stuff.

"No not this." He frowned, unsure weather to laugh at her stupidity or just continue with his usual emotionless demeanour. "This is mine still, just has to be heated up." He said walking towards a doorway in the stone walls; obviously built by him. "This way, there's other food you can eat. I'm too tired to head out and take you to the surface now, and the sled need minor repairs if you're to get out of the Dark Hemisphere, so you're going to have to wait until morning." He stopped for a moment to look back, plate in hand. "You're going to be here a while, you'll get hungry. Might as well come get something to eat, or at least know where the water and food are…" Tri-Klops trailed off and walked away shaking his head. Playing nice with others was not something he was good at. 'Just tell her how to get out. If the Sled blows up while she's riding it the only one who might care is fast asleep on a medical table and unable to go anywhere even if he wanted. No need to tell her technical shit.'

Teela frowned and started to follow, thinking about how Tri-Klops looked standing there in the doorway holding his plate of food. He looked like a normal guy, not a crony to Skeletor: Overlord of Evil. She started in his direction, looking back once to check that Trap-Jaw was fine. He was breathing visibly now. She thought for a moment walking a few paces behind the Swordsman. 'The big lug might be an OK guy really, if he wasn't working for Skeletor of course. Even Tri-Klops.' She said to herself watching as his pace never quickened to get rid of her or slow to accompany her smaller steps.

Ram-Man had said the same thing about Skeletor once, that 'he might even be an OK guy, if he wasn't so evil'. She smiled at linking her thought process and Ram-Mans, and then shook her head as Tri-Klops turned a corner. He hadn't glanced back yet. 'Too much time spent in Ram-Mans company.' And defiantly too much time here.


End file.
